The TRC Newsletter - October 2000
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James recognized for lifetime achievement
Humphreys County resident Ruby James has left an enduring mark on the lives of her neighbors.
Way back in 1974, James turned a dream into reality: to provide developmentally delayed adults with an opportunity to learn job skills while providing a resource to the community. Then in 1989, she opened new doors for recycling when clients began crushing cans one at a time as a workshop task. The rest is history.
The James Development Center's recycling center, started in 1990 as a way to expand employment training opportunities, now stands as the primary regional recycling facility for Humphreys and surrounding counties - serving an area of 557 square miles and 17,000 residents.
A 25,000-square-foot complex anchors recycling efforts, housing four loading docks, a fleet of trucks, trailers, balers, roll-off containers, scales, a paper shredder, and an automatic can crusher that can separate metals. The James Center also provides collection containers for plastic, metal, paper, and cardboard at six county-operated convenience centers.
To honor her foresight and commitment to her community, the National Recycling Coalition presented Ruby James with its Recycler of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2000 National Recycling Congress. In addition to providing recycling opportunities to Humphreys County, the James Center creates jobs for 21 developmentally delayed adults and supervisors.
TRC awards salute recyclers for outstanding efforts
TRC's annual recycling conference offers a once-a-year opportunity to recognize outstanding programs and individuals that work every day to promote recycling throughout the state.
The following candidates have been nominated to receive Recycler of the Year Awards.
Innovator of the Year
Nominees:
• Memphis Recycling Center
• Oak Ridge National Recycling Center
Memphis Recycling Center is the largest provider of comprehensive wood waste and recycling services in the Southeast, averaging 1,000 tons per month. Wood fibers are screened and processed into Southern Comfort Animal Bedding, fibers for concrete blocks with 85% wood, and pressed pallets.
Oak Ridge National Recycling Center, established in 1999, recovers, refurbishes, and recycles computers and other electronic components. It disassembles goods and reclaims useable parts for reuse.
Government Recycler of the Year
Nominees:
• Shelby County Improvement Commission
• U.S. Department of Justice Federal Bureau of Prisons in Memphis
• UT Center for Industrial Services
Shelby County Improvement Commission takes credit for promoting the largest household hazardous waste collection in the state over the past three years. A total of 2,291 households brought 70 tons to a collection site May 8, 1999 - a 14% increase over the previous year.
The Memphis Federal Correctional Institute sorts 100% of its trash to remove recyclable materials, resulting in about 90% less waste going to landfills. The prison recycled more than 640 tons of glass, plastic, metal, grease, oil, and tires in 1999, and has saved an estimated $120,000 per year since 1994.
The UT Center for Industrial Services, through programs like the Tennessee Materials Exchange, helps businesses and manufacturers reduce wastes and improve their economic bottom line. Its work has diverted thousands of tons of waste from landfills to other beneficial uses.
Corporate Recycler of the Year
Nominees:
• Federal Express in Memphis
• Synthetic Industries in Chattanooga
Federal Express replaced its "FedEx Letter" with new packaging called "FedEx Envelope," made with higher recycled content and easier to recycle. An environmental analysis indicated that the move eliminated 7,000,000 pounds of solid waste and reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 9,700,000 pounds.
Synthetic Industries converts polypropylene into end-use products like carpet backing, furniture fabric, erosion-control fabric, concrete reinforcement fibers, agricultural products, and more. By recycling these resins, Synthetic Industries has diverted 2,000 tons of waste from landfills.
Individual Recycler of the Year
Nominees:
• Athena Bradley
• Catherine Wilt
Athena Bradley developed and managed recycling awareness and outreach programs as Knox County's recycling coordinator for six years. She is currently the manager for environmental affairs at The Oak Ridge National Recycle Center, where she will be working on electronics recycling issues. She is a former board member of TRC.
Catherine Wilt, a senior research associate with UT's Energy, Environment & Resources Center since 1990, helped develop recommendations for the Tennessee Solid Waste Management Act and manages TN SWEP, the state's K-12 solid waste education program. She has served on the boards of directors for TRC and the NRC. She chaired this year's recycling conference in Memphis.
Upcoming TRC Conference highlights
- A terrific "Back to Basics" workshop/tour on Wednesday
- An informative plenary session on bottle bills on Thursday with experts from around the country
- Just added! A networking coffee on Friday morning to discuss electronics recycling
- Beale Street is just two blocks away!
- An evening of excitement at the Grand Casino in Tunica
- Plus more variety in the sessions and more time to network in the Exhibit Hall!
From The President, Rhonda Bezdek
TRC is poised for continued growth
With our annual conference approaching, we are looking forward to seeing old and meeting new friends, learning the latest on what's happening in recycling, and electing new members to the board.
Of course with the election of new members comes the time for some of us to say goodbye. It has been a difficult decision for me to make, but I feel it is time to step aside and allow others an opportunity to have the wonderful experience of serving on the board of TRC.
I want to thank all the members I've had the pleasure of working with while serving on the board. Without their hard work, time, and energy, and without the membership contributions, TRC would not be what it is today. TRC is in a position to continue to grow. Continued involvement from the membership will ensure this happens.
Thank you for allowing me to serve as president of TRC. It has been fun and I have wonderful memories I will cherish forever. I look forward to staying involved and helping with TRC's continued success.
See everyone in Memphis. Be sure and bring your blue suede shoes and be on the look-out for Elvis!
Cast your vote for Board of Directors
Tennessee Recycling Coalition's board of directors, elected to two-year terms, governs the organization and directs its activities.
The membership of TRC strives to elect a board that reflects diversity:
• Representing business, government, for-profit, and not-for-profit entities.
• Employed as operations specialists, managers, consultants, administrators, researchers, and educators, as well as individuals interested in promoting recycling.
• Coming from all areas of Tennessee, including rural, urban, and suburban.
Members in good standing may vote for nine candidates by returning their ballot by mail, bringing it to the annual conference, or signing a proxy. In addition to the candidates listed below, you may nominate write-in candidates, who will be introduced at the opening session.
These persons have agreed to serve on the board of directors if elected:
Bob Gasper. Safety and environmental affairs manager for Schering-Plough Healthcare Products in Memphis.
Keith Hooper. Recycling coordinator for the City of Memphis.
G.A. "Tony" Knick. Specialty products representative for Synthetic Industries in Chattanooga.
Clark Lindsey. General manager for Rock-Tenn Recycling in Knoxville.
Lori Munkeboe. State of Tennessee in Nashville.
Bill Partin. Clarksville/Montgomery County Schools in Clarksville.
Bill Penn. Operations coordinator for City-Wide Services in Chattanooga.
Gerald Simmons. Public Works for the City of Chattanooga.
Tenneessee supports America Recycles Day
America Recycles Day 2000 continues to gain momentum in Tennessee with more than 100 communities participating - almost double last year.
Nearly 200 people attended five training/networking luncheons held across the state for local coordinators and their supporters. Lots of local events are already planned, so keep an eye on your newspaper for upcoming activities.
Tennessee's sponsors for America Recycles Day on November 15 include Tennessee Looks Good to Me, Southeastern Paper, U.S. Postal Service, Recycle!Nashville, and the Shelby County Environmental Improvement Commission. Prizes have been donated by the Cumberland Science Museum and the Tennessee Aquarium.
For more information on ARD go to www.americarecyclesday.org.
Conference Sponsors
Rock-Tenn Recycling
U.S. Wire Tie
SP Recycling
U.S. Postal Service
Tennessee Soft Drink Association
Memphis Recycling Services
Weyerhauser
Synthetic Industries
Shelby County Solid Waste
City of Memphis
Earth Complex composts yard waste into mulch
Memphis officials estimate that 30% or more of the solid waste generated by residents is organic yard waste, so creating a yard waste recycling program in 1995 offered a potentially large reduction in tonnage going to landfills.
The yard waste recycling operations come under the city's Solid Waste Recycling Department, which also manages curbside recycling, appliance recycling, and various other recycling programs. Yard waste recycling is based at the city's Earth Complex Compost Facility, located at 2389 Hennington in southwest Memphis, with satellite staging sites in the north and east service areas of the city. TRC conference atendees may tour the facility on Wednesday, October 25.
The mobile recycling operation moves from site to site, grinding brush into mulch, whereupon the resulting mulch is purchased and removed from the site by a contractor. Surplus quantities of the mulch are kept in reserve for city properties and projects.
Bagged leaves are transferred to the Earth Complex Compost Facility during the high-volume leaf season of November through January, where the leaves are debagged and composted into a rich soil amendment. After six to eight months of monitoring, the final compost product is sold to contractors and used internally.
In 1998 over 60,000 tons of yard waste was recycled and marketed, representing almost 18% of the city's 25% waste reduction goal.
Knoxville residents begin recycling computers
Knoxville residents wanted to do something unique to mark the 30th anniversary of Earth Day on April 22 - so they kicked off the city's first computer recycling program.
"One way the City of Knoxville celebrated Earth Day was by initiating a residential computer recycling program," said Mayor Victor Ashe. Since April 22 the city and the Oak Ridge National Recycling Center have run a program to collect used and unwanted computer equipment from residents.
"Not all residents have the means to properly dispose of their obsolete computer equipment," TRC vice president and Knoxville solid waste reduction specialist John Homa said. Now, city and county residents can drop off their obsolete computers and peripheral equipment for free at the Household Hazardous Waste Center. Two computers and any peripherals will be accepted from each resident.
The HHW Center processes and packs the units for delivery to the Oak Ridge National Recycling Center, where they will be refurbished or broken down into components that will be recycled into new products.
"We fully support this effort," said Ed Umbach, manager of the Solid Waste Office for the City of Knoxville. "We are making this an ongoing program here in Knoxville."
For more information, contact the following:
• Knoxville's Household Hazardous Waste Center, 865/523-9463, www.knoxvillesolidwaste.org
• Oak Ridge National Recycling Center, 865/241-3525, www.oakridgerecycle.com
• Knoxville Recycling Coalition, 865/525-9694, www.korrnet.org/recycle
• Goodwill Industries, 865/584-7726
These organizations also accept computers from businesses.
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